National Guard deploys more than 120 service members to NJ nursing homes

TRENTON - Gov. Phil Murphy says he is sending 120 members of the National Guard to nursing homes hit hard by the coronavirus this weekend to help staff.

Murphy didn't say Thursday which facilities the troops would go to or what exactly they'd be doing, but he said the nurses and other staff need "some relief from the bullpen."

"We don't take this step lightly, but we take it knowing that the crisis in our longterm care facilities requires us to take it," Murphy said.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (Edwin J. Torres/Governor's Office)

He also reported another 254 deaths, bringing the total to 8,801. Hard-hit New Jersey has about 134,000 positive cases of the virus.

Labor officials say more than 1 million New Jersey residents have filed for jobless benefits, and the state has paid out about $2 billion amid the outbreak.

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